Our programs are the backbone of what we do and include many ways we can work with you. Whether you’re looking to buy a new home for your family, want to start a community garden with your neighbors, or are looking for a great investment opportunity, we’re here to help! Get more details on each of our programs below, and don’t forget to check out our Resources page for additional information and materials. As always, get in touch if there is anything we can do for you!
You can find all properties currently for sale by clicking here.
Properties are listed for at least 30 days before applications are reviewed. Applications are reviewed as they are submitted. We strive to review applications in a timely manner, typically your application will go to our Board for approval within 30-45 days of your complete application submission. Some sites may be more challenging to review, so please allow 90 days for the review and approval process. You can apply directly from the property listing page on our website; if you need an accommodation such as a printed application, please contact our office and we’ll be happy to help you out!
Complete applications will include:
Properties are sold as-is, but we do accept offers. Please see our Disposition Summary for additional application requirements. If there are multiple complete applications, we will hold an auction for all applicants with complete applications that meet the disposition priorities established by our Board. The application with the highest bid from the auction will then move forward to our Board for approval.
The OMLB Board of Directors accepts or rejects all offers to purchase OMLB properties at our board meetings. Board Meetings are open to the public and you are welcome to attend!
All Land Bank properties are sold with a specified redevelopment timeline; everything listed in your job-cost estimate must be complete within that timeline. Currently, purchasers have 9 months for the renovation of a single-family residential property and two years for other types of property; the redevelopment timeline will be specified in your application and purchase agreement. We will regularly check in on redevelopment progress after closing and sign off as soon as the redevelopment is complete.
Need financing or a contractor? Want to see a sample application? Find resources for buyers on our Resources page! Contact us with any additional questions you have! Contact Us
Please reach out to us at 402.800.1240 or info@omlb.org.
We’ll set up an appointment to view the property, then let you know what we can offer (if applicable). Once a purchase price is negotiated or the donation is accepted, we’ll send you a Purchase Agreement or Donation Form, then send the transaction to our Board for approval. The Land Bank does not realtor/broker fees.
The OMLB Board of Directors accepts or rejects property acquisitions at Board Meetings held on the second Wednesday of each month at 9 am. Board Meetings are open to the public and you are welcome to attend!
Program Overview: The Clean & Green Program addresses blighted and abandoned properties in Omaha’s most underinvested neighborhoods. We will achieve this by partnering with community-based organizations to enhance the appearance and use of vacant land.
Program Goals: Our Clean & Green Program focuses on achieving the following core goals:
Community Need: The Land Bank owns over 300 vacant lots in North Omaha. These lots represent an opportunity to increase community engagement, safety and public spaces within District 2. The Omaha’s Land Bank’s Clean & Green Program will be modeled after the Genesee Land Bank’s Clean & Green Program—a program that has successfully operated for over 10 years in Flint, Michigan. Their 2021 Annual Report found that 79% of residents reported feeling safer in their neighborhood due to the work of the Clean & Green Program. In addition, the program encouraged 98% of nearby neighbors to take steps to better care for their properties and another 69% of neighboring lots were well maintained.
The Ambassador Program of the Omaha Land Bank is designed to deepen and expand the bench of stakeholders and community members from whom the Land Bank learns, and to whom the Land Bank seeks to support and serve. Through the Ambassador Program, the Land Bank hopes to identify and share learning with a diverse cohort of potential board applicants and community advocates, to provide participants with information and experience regarding the Land Bank’s programs and potential impacts, and to learn from community members how the Land Bank can continuously be a better neighbor.
Each year’s cohort attends training sessions once per month for nine months, beginning in September and ending in May. There is a minimum of one participant selected from each City Council District. Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Successful completion of the program requires attendance at all meetings, unless the participant has been previously excused, and attendance at a minimum of one Land Bank Board Meeting.
Applications for the 2022-2023 Land Bank’s Ambassador Program are now closed. Next year’s program applications will begin in May 2023.
With any questions, please email info@omlb.org
Every year, Douglas County holds a tax lien sale that allows investors to bid on tax lien certificates secured by properties with unpaid taxes from the previous year. After three years, if the property owner has not paid the taxes and the statutory interest due, the tax lien investor can foreclose on the property and potentially become the new owner. The Land Bank can take part in this tax lien sale and, due to state legislation, for some properties our bid becomes the automatically accepted bid on tax lien certificates we select. While tax lien certificates can be purchased on any property that has delinquent taxes, we will only invest in properties that meet certain criteria, including properties that are vacant, abandoned and/or distressed. Contact us to learn more!
The Omaha Land Bank has the ability to hold properties tax-free for up to one year. If your non-profit has acquired a property but aren’t ready to develop it now, you can transfer the property to us. When you’re ready to develop, we’ll deed the property directly back to you. You will be required to maintain the property while it is deposited with us, but your only direct cost is the title transfers. So, what’s in it for the Land Bank? Not only are we helping non-profits and their donors avoid tax payments on idle properties, the Land Bank will receive, from Douglas County, 50% of the taxes paid on the property for five years after deeding it back to the non-profit. This income stream supports our continued operations and activities. Contact us to learn more!
By combining multiple adjacent properties to form a larger development site, the principle of the value of the whole being greater than the sum of the individual parts is recognized, and individual owners may realize a higher return on their property investment.
You can find our open opportunities in the Developer section of our Resources page. If you’re looking for a specific type of property or if you’d like to be notified of land assemblies as they become available, please email us at info@omlb.org.
We’ve included some resources below that we hope will be helpful for you. Please let us know if you have any questions or if there is anything else you need!
Below you will find links to our policies and other governing documents.
Please feel free to review the sample documents below; these documents may be customized for your transaction.
Learn more about purchasing Land Bank properties on our Programs page!
Because many of our homes are in need of rehabilitation, people interested in purchasing our homes may need contractors or special financing options. To help you turn one of our distressed properties into your dream project, we’ve gathered some resources together for you! The Land Bank does not require or endorse the use of any of the listed resources.
Financial Resources
We have listed below programs we are aware of that may relate to your needs, including lenders that offer loan packages combining purchase price and renovation costs into a single mortgage.
Find a Contractor You can find contractors through the below websites:
Contact us with any additional questions!
Please feel free to review the sample documents below; these documents will be customized for your transaction.
Contact us with any additional questions!
We work with local contractors in many ways:
Contact us if you would like to be added to our list of contractors and be notified about future bid opportunities!
If we have any open RFPs, RFQs or other opportunities, you will find them listed below. No currently listed opportunities.
We need developers as our end-use partners; without you, we couldn’t be successful in our mission to transform our community’s distressed properties. Please review information about purchasing individual properties; details on our current land assemblies are listed below. Contact us if you would like to be added to our list of developers and be notified about future bid opportunities!
If we have any open RFPs, RFQs or other opportunities, you will find them listed below. No currently listed opportunities.
We believe in collaboration: we work with community partners in order to leverage individual strengths, share assets and achieve broader goals than we could on our own. We are always excited to team up with the following types of partners:
Currently, we work with partners who:
We are also interested in:
Contact us to start the discussion today!
